Diary of an Injured Runner: Half Full

Have you ever had one of those moments when you suddenly realized what a big whiny baby you were being? No? Just me. I was afraid of that! Seriously, though I think I just experienced one of those moments.

And the thing is I knew that stressing out and moping and fighting the injury was counter-productive to my recovery. I knew I had so much to be thankful for and happy about in my life besides running. I knew I was stuck in glass-half-empty pessimism-land. I knew that I would be much more likely to rebound quickly and forcefully if I focused on the positives and chose to be optimistic. I knew all of this! Yet, I struggled and the woe-is-me record played on.

But the needle finally came off a couple of nights ago. I needed to go to bed, but was stuck in a blog-reading coma. The house was all dark except for the glow of my laptop and my zombie eyes staring back at it. I was just about to pry myself away when I decided to check one more blog. That’s when I stumbled across this post about half-marathoner and Oklahoma City Bombing survivor Amy Downs-Petty written by Camille Herron.

My glass suddenly looked more full.

Amy survived this:

Image via Wikipedia

She fell 3 stories and was trapped in the rubble for 6.5 hours.

I, on the other hand, am trying to survive this:

Gritting my teeth and getting through an hour on the bike instead of my trusty treadmill.

I had to cut my miles way back and cross-train for 8 weeks and it gave me the SadZ. Wa wa.

Even more telling is what Amy did after her ordeal. Camille highlights an amazing quote, “We are all buried under the rubble at times … The key is how we choose to respond.”

Amy chose to change her life. She went back to school and earned her Bachelor’s and her Masters. She also lost 200 pounds and ran two half marathons! Amy didn’t mope about almost losing her life under a pile of rubble or losing dozens of co-workers and friends. Amy literally dusted herself off and made her life into what she wanted it to be.

Half Full. Image via Wikipedia

Thanks to Camille for sharing Amy’s story. It inspired me to jump off this wambulance and seize my dreams. A minor injury in a full life is nothing to cry about. It is actually difficult for me to type those words after being a pessimist for so long. In theory, it should be simple. It is just change perspective, after all. Do others struggle to see all the delicious water in the glass rather than the short fill?

Although it is a challenge for me I resolve to make the half full choice! My butt might be annoying now, but I can and will overcome it and achieve my dreams.

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Salty Running boss and mother of 3 little ones with PRs of 3:10:15 (26.2), 1:25:59 (13.1) and 18:15 (5k). I love to write about running culture, mental training, and fitting in a serious running habit with the rest of a busy life.